Illness
by Shiruba Neko
Summary: Everyone gets sick sometimes, even Scar. No pairings. COMPLETE
1. Practically Kidnapped

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Practically Kidnapped  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
_**_Warnings: _**_Cursing  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N:_**_ Before you read this, let it be known that it was _all_ Scar-san's idea. I am not a sadist!  
__Scar: It's true. I take the blame for this story.  
__Envy: -rolls eyes- Masochist.  
__Quiet, Envy. Anywho, this story, like my others, doesn't fit into the canon timeline _at all_. It takes place after the Marco thing, yet before the 1st Library Branch burns down (in other words, we're dealing with Trenchcoat!Scar here). Like I said, it doesn't fit. But I don't care. Scar-san said that he wouldn't leave me alone about it until I'd written and posted it. And now, without further blathering on my part, let the story commence!

* * *

_

Scar walked calmly through the streets of Central, the overcast sky and slight drizzle perfectly complementing his mood. The weather had been like this for three days, and the entire city seemed subdued. There hadn't been as many people out on the streets, the general population preferring to stay inside out of the drizzle and occasional cold winds, but not even the terrible weather could keep at least _some_ people from going about their usual business. Namely Scar, although as he didn't have any real shelter from the elements he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. In short, he had been outside in the cold and wet for three days straight. He had assumed that he would be perfectly fine; he was strong, and it was only a little rain. And this had been the case…for the first day. On the second, he had begun feeling a bit lightheaded, and then he had been seen and chased by the military; he had gone into the sewers to escape. Needless to say, this is not the best place for someone with a weakened immune system to be going into.

Now, it was the third day. He had successfully escaped the military, but hadn't slept the previous night in order to keep watch and make sure that he _stayed_ escaped. When he began to move again, he noticed that he was shivering uncontrollably; he had pulled his trenchcoat closer around him in an attempt to stop the shivering, but as it was by then completely soaked, it didn't help at all. Later, he was leaning against a brick wall in a darker alley, resting, when he heard a familiar clanking walk, and soon saw Alphonse Elric walking past the entrance to the alley. He didn't see Ed, so decided to stay hidden, but was foiled in his attempt when a series of loud, racking coughs erupted from his throat.

"Hello? Is there someone in there?" Al peered into the alley, and when he saw who it was took a step backwards in surprise, "You!"

"Stay away, I'm…" Scar swayed unsteadily on his feet as he was assailed by an abrupt wave of dizziness, "…I'm warning…warning…" his vision blurred and he dropped to his knees, "…you…" his pupils contracted as a sharp, lancing pain traveled through his chest, and his stomach emptied itself of what little he had eaten that day. His muscles were suddenly too weak to support him, and he fell the rest of the way onto the ground, blacking out within seconds.

* * *

Scar came to slowly, and soon wished that he hadn't. His head was throbbing, and the pain in his stomach hadn't lessened in the slightest. He was still dizzy and shivering, and now his throat was sore, and his breathing raspy. He seemed to be in a sitting position, and surrounded by something cold and hard and very uncomfortable; by the jostling and noise around him, he also deducted that he was on a train. Blearily he opened his eyes to find himself in almost total darkness, with only a few rays of light coming in…wait, coming in?

"Hey, Al, you've been pretty quiet and still for the whole ride. You okay?" a voice came from somewhere close.

"I'm fine, niisan. Just thinking," this voice echoed all around him.

With a cold jolt, Scar realized _exactly_ where he was, '_No…no…oh Ishbala, no…_' He was…he was _inside_ Alphonse Elric! He was suddenly terrified; he felt like screaming and thrashing, but his muscles wouldn't respond, and his shout came past his dry, cracked lips as no more than a hoarse whisper. He tried to use his right arm, but found that in his current state of illness, he was unable to concentrate enough for it to work. He didn't know where he was, didn't know where he was being taken, and was utterly helpless to do anything; he was practically being kidnapped. His breathing and heartbeat became erratic, frantic, and he closed his eyes tightly, willing it to be some kind of terrible dream, '_No, no, I want _out_! Let me out! Someone, anyone…please…_'

* * *

Ed and Al were taking an involuntary vacation to Rizembool. Mustang was the one who'd arranged it, his reason being that the pair had been under far too much stress and they were going whether they wanted to or not. Ed had sulked, but eventually agreed. He had been getting the train tickets while Al packed and carried the suitcase. It was on his way to the station that Al had passed the small alley which had turned out to contain a very ill Scar. After the poor Ishbalan had collapsed, Al, being the insanely nice person that he was, had felt incredibly sympathetic. After duly noting that in his current state Scar wasn't really a threat, Al made the decision that he couldn't just leave such a sick person out in this weather to probably die. But he knew that Ed wouldn't agree, so Al decided to hide Scar inside his armor and bring him to Rizembool with them.

It was odd, knowing that there was a person inside of him, and he made sure to walk extra carefully the rest of the way to the station, trying not to wake Scar up. The train was only about half an hour from Rizembool when Al heard Scar shift slightly inside of him, and heard a hoarse shout that was more like a whisper. Fortunately Ed didn't notice, and after a few minutes of not being exploded from the inside, Al realized with relief that for one reason or another Scar couldn't use his arm. But even if that danger had passed, another was following right after; Scar was certainly very, very ill, possibly delusional, and didn't know what was going on. He was likely to begin panicking, if he hadn't already, and make a good deal of noise. Not that Al could blame him; anyone would panic if placed in Scar's present situation, but Al didn't want his brother to find out about Scar just yet.

"Niisan, I'm going to stand outside for a bit, all right?" he spoke quietly.

Ed looked curious, but let it go, "Sure, if you want. We're almost there, aren't we, though?"

"Yeah, but I just feel like standing up for a while," Al nodded before realizing with a bit of chagrin that he had probably just banged Scar's head. He stood up more carefully and began to walk down the aisle, noting with grim humor that, judging by the way his legs seemed to be actively resisting the movement of walking, Scar was definitely awake. But fortunately, Scar's opposition wasn't strong enough to cause any obvious lag or stiffness in Al's movement, and he made it to the outside connector platform without anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Now that there was nobody around, Al could begin the difficult task of calming Scar down, explaining to him what was going on, and most importantly, getting him to cooperate.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Yeah, so Scar-san is rather OOC…but, really, he's sick! Give the poor guy a break. I mean, the last time he saw the Elrics, he was trying to kill Ed, and now he's thinking that he's at the mercy of a State Alchemist, and he doesn't know what's going to happen to him. And he's really, really sick, so he's not exactly in his right mind. Wouldn't you be pretty scared if you were in a situation like that?  
__Scar: So nobody go around calling me a wimp in their reviews.  
__Darn right. Scar-san is anything BUT wimpy.  
__Envy: Readers, I wouldn't anger her if I were you. She'll sic her spoats on you.  
__That's right, Envy! I have obtained a cage full of loyal spider-goat chimeras that obey my every command without question! Muhahahahahahaha!  
__Scar: -sigh- Ieva, you're going to scare all the reviewers away…  
__Muhahahahahahahahahaha!  
__Scar: Hey, readers, ignore her. Reviews are our life force. We like them. _


	2. He Is Not a Cat!

**_Chapter Title:_**_ He Is Not a Cat!  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
**Warnings: **None__  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N:_**_ Oh the irony of the chapter title…yay for making obscure references to my other fics! Lalala…oh, and I must warn you all; just because this chapter was posted quickly doesn't mean that they all will be.

* * *

_

If being inside Alphonse sitting down had been uncomfortable, being inside Alphonse standing up and walking was even worse. Scar was tall, but still about a head shorter than the animated suit of armor, and so kind of hung by his arms. He also didn't enjoy the sensation of someone else moving his limbs for him, instinctively resisting it, but too weak to stop it, which was even worse. He heard a door open, then close, and Al stopped moving.

"Scar-san? Are you all right?" Al's voice echoed around him, and he flinched, not answering. Al's voice took on a soothing tone, "It's okay, Scar-san, I'm not going to do anything bad to you. I know this might be pretty confusing and sudden, and maybe a little scary, but it'll be okay. You're…really sick, and I'm just trying to help. Would you be more comfortable if I sat down?"

Scar's reply was mumbled, and Al had to ask him to repeat himself louder. He complied, and his voice had a frantic tone to it, "I want out."

Al was silent for a moment, torn with indecision, before answering, "I don't know, Scar-san…there's not much room, and it's pretty windy out here…I don't think it'd be a good idea…"

"Let me out…please, let me out."

The hint of desperation in Scar's voice tugged on Al's metaphorical heartstrings, and he sighed before undoing the latch holding his front plate closed. It was a bit difficult to extract Scar from the armor, as the Ishbalan couldn't really move on his own, but eventually he was sitting, back supported by the train car's wall. Al really hoped that nobody else would come out there; that would have been a difficult situation. But as long as Scar was out, he might as well check up on his condition. It seemed to have worsened quite a bit, probably because –Al mentally cringed– he had been sitting in soaking wet clothes inside of a cold suit of armor since that morning, with no medicine or anything. His eyes were clouded and unfocused, and it was hard to miss the spasms of violent shivering that occurred multiple times a minute.

"What's…going o-" Scar dissolved into a fit of coughing. Al placed a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away, speaking in between coughs, "Don't…touch…me…" the coughing subsided, "What's going on?"

"Well…you collapsed, and you looked really sick. I didn't want to just leave you out in the rain, but the train was about to leave, so…I hid you in my armor and brought you with us."

"Where…where are you taking me?"

"Rizembool; it's a place way out in the country. We're visiting some old friends," Al looked up, and found that he could actually see the station in the distance, "The train's almost there. Scar-san, you need to get back inside my armor."

Scar panicked. He didn't know why, but he did know that he did _not_ want to go back inside Al. He attempted to get away, but only wound up falling onto his side. In his state of alarm, he couldn't hear Al trying to calm him down, he couldn't even hear his own shouts of "No!". His panic heightened into full-blown terror as Al placed a hand over his mouth, effectively muffling his shouts, and quickly lifted his weakly struggling form into the armor.

"Calm down, Scar-san! Everything will be all right, please stop shouting…Do you want the entire train to know that you're here? You'll be out again soon, I promise. Now, I'll take my hand away if you'll promise to just be quiet until I can take you out again," Al tried to sound comforting, but it seemed like forever before Scar gave a slow nod. Al removed his hand and closed his front, sealing Scar in, "I'm sorry, Scar-san. I'll let you out again as soon as I can."

"Hey, Al, we're about to pull into the station; you should come back inside," Ed opened the door of the train car and poked his head out.

Al straightened quickly, and tried not to look guilty, "Yeah, I guess so niisan," hoping that Scar would stay quiet, he followed Ed back into the car. Within minutes the train had arrived at the small station, and the two brothers, along with one very unhappy passenger, were headed along the familiar dirt path through the grassy hills. Unlike Central, it was pleasantly warm and sunny in Rizembool. When they got within ten yards of the Rockbell house, they were greeted by Den, who sniffed and then began barking furiously at Al.

"Al…are you hiding another cat in your armor?"

"N-no, niisan! Whatever gave you that idea?"

Ed sighed, and with a practiced hand quickly undid the latch holding the front of Al's armor on before he could react, expecting a cat to jump out. He did _not_ expect to see a wet and very freaked out Scar staring back at him like a deer in headlights. Ed blinked once, twice…before what he was seeing sank in and he took a step backwards, gaping and pointing and shouting the first thing that came to mind.

"AL! HE IS NOT A CAT!"

"But niisan, he's sick and it was raining and…"

"CATS MAYBE! SCAR NO!" at the same time, a snide little voice in Ed's mind was saying '_Congratulations. Your little brother has officially graduated from hiding cats in his armor to hiding Ishbalan serial murderers._'

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Yeah, short chapter, but it just felt right to end it there. I can be veeery obsessive-compulsive about that kind of thing. But poor Scar-san, all freaked out and being stuffed into a walking suit of armor. I so need to draw a picture of that last scene…heeheehee…And now to answer reviews!_

_crazyanimefreak15: Thanks. And of course Scar-san isn't evil, he's just a prime example of a misunderstood character. And about Scar and Ed being friends…I dunno, even if Ed wasn't a State Alchemist, their personalities still collide like a train wreck. I think Al is more suited to being buddies with Scar than Ed is, even without the State Alchemist thing.  
__Darkness Shadow of Hatred: -thinks about it. brain explodes- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa…thanks for the compliment, though.  
__unknown: Thanks! _


	3. Discussion

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Discussion  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
_**_Warnings: _**_Cursing  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N:_**_ Guess what? I'm going to Japan in July! I'm so excited! Yay! And something tells me that I'm going to be getting a lot of writing done on that plane trip…

* * *

_

When Winry opened the door, she was expecting Ed and Al. She was not expecting an extra person. She was _definitely_ not expecting the extra person to be a wanted serial murderer who had been actively pursuing Ed's life. Although he didn't really look like much of a threat, soaking wet and shivering and being carried by Al. But that fact didn't stop her from being surprised and confused.

"WHA-AT?"

* * *

After a brief scramble, everything was situated fairly well. Scar had been placed on the couch (Quote Ed: "I want him where I can see him"), and was now out of his wet clothes and clad in a fluffy blue bathrobe that was kind of too small since it actually belonged to Winry, as well as being wrapped in about five quilts. It had been determined via thermometer that he was running a fever of 106°, but nobody could figure out exactly what he had. So they had stuffed him full of painkillers, and after about 15 minutes he was basically in a drug-induced coma. Now everyone else was sitting around the kitchen table, discussing what they were going to do with him.

"_I_ say we dump him in the middle of town and let someone _else_ deal with him," Ed suggested boredly, "Or better yet, hand him over to the military."

"Niisan! How can you be so heartless?"

"What? It's not like we can keep him as a pet!"

"I know, but we can't just throw him out!"

Winry interjected, "Al's right, Ed. We have to at least keep him until he's well enough to take care of himself."

"But he's…he's _Scar_! He's _dangerous_!" Ed was, as usual, refusing to back down. At least, he was until Winry smacked him upside the head with her trusty wrench.

"Are you _blind_? Does he look dangerous to you right now?" she gestured through the open door into the living room, where Scar could be seen sleeping and looking very non-threatening indeed.

"Yeah, maybe he's not _now_, but what about when he starts getting better? What about when he's able to use his arm? What then?"

Pinako decided that it was time to step in, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. He is here, and what's done is done. There's no use arguing about it now."

"Which reminds me. Al, what the hell were you thinking, hiding _Scar_ in your armor and bringing him along without telling me?" Ed gave Al an accusatory glance.

"Because you wouldn't have let me, niisan."

"Damn right I wouldn't have! How did you know he wouldn't try to blow us both up?"

"Well…he'd collapsed…and I had been hoping he would stay unconscious until we'd gotten here…"

Ed put up a hand to stop Al's explanation, "Wait, now, let me get this straight. Scar was _already_ unconscious when you put him in your armor? And he had _no idea_ that you were going to be doing that? And I'm assuming that he _did_ wake up on the train…so, when you went outside, you were…?"

Al sounded guilty, "I was telling him what was going on. He sounded really scared…"

Winry joined the conversation, her tone reprimanding, "Al! You can't just stuff _people_ in your armor like that without them agreeing to it first! It's no wonder he was scared! Most people would be frightened out of their wits!"

Ed looked a little surprised, and murmured to himself, "Scared…?" and then a little louder, "Tch. I guess you all win. He can stay. Temporarily."

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Bah, another short one. I don't know if they'll all be this short or what; I guess it'll depend on the chapter, and of course, Scar-san. He's totally running this one; I'm just the one writing it down. For instance, _I_ wanted to have him in a _pink_ bathrobe, with bunnies around the hem and other stuff like that…  
__Scar: I drew the line at that.  
__Envy: You have to admit though, that would've been hilarious.  
__And adorable.  
__Scar: I have dignity, thank you very much. And why would Winry have a pink bathrobe with bunnies on it anyway?  
__You've got me there. Anyway, time to answer reviews!_

_Silvertails__ Tora: Sorry for not answering your review last chapter; you reviewed, like, as I was posting. Thanks for your review!  
__Darkness Shadow of Hatred: Thanks! I'm working on the picture, but Al is really, really hard.  
__no__ one's friend: Thanks! It is pretty funny, isn't it?  
__crazyanimefreak15: Wow, you've been advertising my story? Thank you somuch! Well, Ed is a bit reluctant, but I suppose he'll get there._


	4. Eleven Days

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Eleven Days  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N:_**_ Lalala…another short one, dangit!

* * *

_

By the time Scar awoke, it was the morning after they had arrived in Rizembool. The bright morning sunlight filtered through the windows, as did the sound of merrily singing birds. He shifted his head to the side, trying to see his surroundings better. He was in a mediumish-sized room with a wooden floor and several windows. In addition to the couch he was lying on, there were a few chairs and a low coffee table in his line of vision, as well as a slightly ajar door from behind which emanated low voices. He tried to make out what they were saying; as far as he could tell, they were arguing about something. One of them was a feminine voice, the other very obviously belonged to the Fullmetal Alchemist. At realizing his incredibly close proximity to said alchemist and still being unable to move, Scar tensed, and tried harder to determine what was being said. But within seconds, he didn't need to try, as the volume of the argument increased significantly.

"I'm not drinking that milk!"

There was the sound of metal colliding with someone's head, "Ed! Quiet!"

"You're yelling too!"

"_You're_ going to wake him up!"

"Like I care!"

"Niisan, please be quiet…"

It might have gone on like this, but once again Scar dissolved into a coughing fit, and the voices all stopped. He heard people getting out of chairs, and silently cursed his recent streak of bad luck concerning his throat. If only he could _move_, he could get away…but it was too late. Four faces peered around the door; there was Fullmetal, Alphonse, a blonde girl he didn't recognize, and a short old woman whom he also didn't recognize. Wait…he _did_ recognize them; his memory was slightly muddled, but they had been there earlier, they were the ones who had given him the pain medicine. Beyond that, his memories were fuzzy. He remembered the armor being opened…then there had been shouting, and he had seen Fullmetal pointing at him…a blade at his throat…more shouting…the blade had been withdrawn, and he was taken out of the armor…blurred faces, voices, movement…and then blackness.

"Ah, you _are_ awake," Al's voice interrupted his musings, and he looked up to see three of the four people (Ed was conspicuously absent from the group) directly in front of him. He jerked backwards in surprise, furious with himself at letting them get so close without him even noticing.

At his look of alarm, the blonde girl put up her hands in a kind of 'please-calm-down' gesture, "It's all right, please don't be afraid. You're safe here. I'm Winry Rockbell, and this is my grandmother, Pinako Rockbell."

Scar looked surprised, and spoke, his voice hoarse, "Rockbell? The two doctors…from Ishbal…?"

"Yes, that's right; I'm their daughter," Winry smiled and withheld her curiosity for the moment; she didn't want to freak him out even more by barraging him with questions. She did notice how he relaxed slightly at the mention of her parents, though, "Are you feeling any better?"

"I can't move…"

Pinako questioned further, "Are your muscles locked, or are you too weak to move?"

Scar gritted his teeth, thinking grimly, '_As though my dignity wasn't damaged _enough_…_' before turning his eyes away from them and answering quietly, "…too weak…"

"That's good," he turned his head up to see Pinako smiling slightly, "That means you probably don't have tetanus. Now, what other symptoms do you have?"

He listed what was happening to him, feeling somehow detached from the words, "…dizziness, shivering, headache, coughing, sore throat, stomach pain, and blurred vision."

"Hmmm…it sounds like you have a particularly bad case of the flu. You should be just fine in a week and a half. Provided, of course, you get enough rest and don't move around too much."

"Hnn…" was Scar's only reaction. Inwardly, he groaned; a week and a half of being confined indoors and in close proximity to Edward Elric was certainly not a happy prospect. Eleven days…he could survive this place for eleven days. Couldn't he?

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Poor Scar-san, all sick with the flu and having to be near Ed for 11 whole days. Oh, and in case you didn't quite pick up on it, yes, directly after the events in chapter two, Ed threatened Scar-san's life with his Blade!automail, and I'll go more into detail on what happened with that in the next chapter. __Oh, also, I've now got neat little figurines of both Envy and Scar-san, and they sit in a place of honor on my desk while I'm writing and give me inspiration. And when I look at the Scar one from a certain angle, it almost looks like he's grinning. It's kinda weird, but it makes me smile.  
__Envy: At least his is sturdy. My figurine keeps either tilting over or my arms fall off.  
__Yeah, I have to prop yours up. But it's still cool! Anyway, time to answer reviews!_

_no one's friend: Hehehe…I think I'll draw a little comic about that…it'd be funny.  
__LadyRiona__: Yay, thank you! Oh and Scar-san says that it is far beneath his dignity to wear anything like that, and that he hates pink anyway. He actually did tell me I couldn't in real life; I thought about doing it, and a very loud voice in my subconscious said 'NO'. Aaaaaa…I'm going insane!  
__kitfreaks__: Thanks! Is this soon enough for you? ;)_


	5. An Uneasy Truce

**_Chapter Title:_**_ An Uneasy Truce  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N:_**_ Yay for truces! Three guesses who it's with, and the first two don't count.  
__Scar: You really like making me truce with Ed, don't you?  
__Yes, because antagonist-protagonist truce plots are my very favorite kind. They make me squeal like a broken dolphin. Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

_

Ed was sulking upstairs. Everyone else was downstairs in the living room, and he rightly assumed that they were fussing over Scar. He had flatly refused to have any part in it, and wanted more than anything to completely ignore the fact that the Ishbalan was even there, and simply avoid the living room at all costs until he'd left. He didn't trust Scar one bit not to try and kill them all once he'd recovered. Golden eyes hardened as he reflected on what had happened the afternoon before.

* * *

_"CATS MAYBE! SCAR NO!" Ed shouted, his surprise already wearing off to be replaced by anger. Not directed at his brother, but at the person who was currently inside his brother. The person who had killed almost a dozen people, who had nearly killed both himself and Alphonse, who had killed Nina…with a clap and a flash of blue light, his right arm transformed into a sharp blade, which he pressed against Scar's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. _

_"Niisan, stop!" Al grabbed his wrist, preventing him from completing the swing of the blade._

_"He's a murderer, Al. Don't try to defend him," Ed's voice was hard, his eyes narrowed._

_"But _you_ aren't, niisan! Look at him! He can't defend himself; he can't even move!"_

_Ed looked down at Scar, and saw that Al was right. Slowly, the anger receded, and he stepped back, the look on his face was one of horror at what he had almost done. He spoke slowly, looking down at the ground, "Take him out of your armor Al. Winry and Pinako will know what to do better than we would."

* * *

_

He was currently torn on whether sparing Scar was a good decision or not. And also whether he ought to get a phone and call up the military; he basically had Scar captured, and by law should turn him in. Not that he ever really cared about the law, but it made a pretty good reason to do it. But he doubted that Al would ever forgive him if he did. Even so, it was a tempting prospect, never having to deal with the issue of Scar again. After about another hour of pondering, he made his decision, and he intended to go through with it.

* * *

Scar was not used to being fussed over. After about ten minutes, he decided that he did not like it. Although it was _sort of_ nice for the first five minutes, the constant stream of chatter and questions about his well-being were really beginning to grate on his nerves. It was Alphonse and Winry that were doing the fussing; Pinako had gone off to do…something. He didn't really care what it was that she was doing, only that it was one less person in the room; two people was more than enough. 

"Winry, could you come in here for a moment?" Pinako's voice drifted through the kitchen door.

"Coming, grandma!" much to Scar's relief, Winry got up and left. He had been really starting to get uncomfortable being focused upon by two people at once. Now he was alone with Alphonse.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Al spoke, "Scar-san…I'm sorry for putting you in my armor without your permission…I didn't know what else to do…"

Scar was silent for a moment, before replying simply with, "Beh."

But Al, being Al and therefore very good at reading into things, could tell that this was an acceptance of his apology. Which it was. If Al had been in possession of a moveable face, he would have smiled as he thought, '_Thank you, Scar-san._' He didn't voice this, as he rightly assumed that Scar would really prefer that he didn't. There was a more comfortable silence for a while, until both Pinako and Winry came into the room.

"Al, we're going into town to get some stuff, and you need to come with us."

"But what about…?" Al gestured at Scar.

"Ed can watch him."

"Are you _sure_ that's a good idea?"

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, if _either_ of them tries anything funny…" Winry let the sentence hang threateningly, and her hand strayed to the wrench hanging from her belt. Nobody in the room doubted that she would hold true to the implied threat. She said more brightly, "Now, I'll go upstairs and get him," she walked up the stairs calmly.

**10 Minutes Later…**

After a good deal of shouting, Winry came downstairs. Ed came tromping after her, looking incredibly sulky and sporting several large bumps on his head.

"_How_ long are your going to be gone again?" Ed muttered grumpily as Al, Winry, and Pinako started heading out the door.

"Not sure. Maybe a few hours. Now, remember, no injuring each other or fighting or destroying the house!" Winry's eyes flashed threateningly, "Or _else_."

Ed visibly gulped as the door closed. Winry could certainly be scary when she wanted to be. He wouldn't have tried anything even if he had been planning to in the first place. And now…here he was. Alone with Scar. Oh, _joy_. He sighed, and walked over to one of the chairs along the wall that the couch faced, sitting in it and boredly staring to the side. Scar gave him a brief glare before turning away and focusing intently on the pattern of one of the quilts he was wrapped in. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Until, finally, Ed broke the silence.

"I'm off duty right now, y'know," he didn't move his head from its previous position as he spoke, continuing to stare at the wall, "So technically, I'm _not_ currently a State Alchemist."

"Hnn."

He continued, "And as such, I don't particularly feel that I'm obligated to turn you in to the military. _Provided_ of course, you give your word not to kill or hurt _anybody _while you're here."

There was silence for a few moments before Scar answered, "Very well, Edward Elric. You have my word."

Ed grinned, "Good."

And thus, there was a truce, and both of them had several less things to worry about.

* * *

_**A/N: **Wh00t-ness! Another chapter, and a little longer than the last couple. Oh, this is so much fun to write. And so cute to imagine, too!  
Scar: Why do you insist on calling me cute?  
Because you _are_!  
Scar: -sigh- Just answer the reviewers…_

_no one's friend: Hahaha! That _is _funny!  
LadyRiona: Yay! Thanks for complimenting my writing style. :)  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Your review nearly made me fall out of my chair I was laughing so hard. Yes, I _am_ far too easily amused. Glad you like it!  
Darkness Shadow of Hatred: Thanks much! My poor Envy figurine...hehehe._


	6. Observation

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Observation  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Nope  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Over the course of the last few days, I have gone and gotten myself addicted to AMVs (Anime Music Videos). I found some really, really amazing Scar ones, and a couple others that I liked, on If you can, you should go look at 'em; you have to sign up on the site and deal with annoying 'give us money' things every few pages, but I think it's worth it.

* * *

_

When the house came in sight as the trio crested another hill, Al was relieved just to see that it was still standing, with no obvious holes blasted in the walls. He hoped nothing bad had happened while they had been gone; leaving Scar and Ed alone in the same _house_, never mind the same room, for an extended period of time really didn't seem like a very smart thing to do. When they reached the door, Al was halfway expecting the worst. Winry opened the door and they walked in quietly. Instead of going right into the living room, they kind of peered around the door. No signs of a fight at all, surprisingly. In fact, Ed and Scar seemed to be playing some kind of card game, with Ed holding Scar's cards up for him.

"You're cheating."

"What? No I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

Ed groaned, "Aarrgh…how could you tell?"

"I can see the cards hidden in your sleeve."

Both Al and Winry facefaulted. At the noise, Ed looked up, surprised, "Oh, you're finally back. What took you so long?"

"Well, we bought some more medicine…" Winry listed what they had gotten while digging through one of the bags she carried.

Meanwhile, Al was scolding Ed, "Niisan, you were cheating at cards _again_?"

"It's not like we were betting anything!"

Winry reached over and smacked him over the head with her wrench, "Then why were you cheating?"

"Well…uh…" Ed appeared at a loss for words.

Scar sighed. This would be a _long_ eleven days.

* * *

"Come on, Scar-san. You have to eat _some_thing," it was the second afternoon, and Al was attempting to feed Scar some soup. Note the 'attempting'. Scar was not particularly inclined to be fed.

Ed yelled from the kitchen, "Winry didn't make it, so it's not poison!" There was then the now easily-recognizable sound of Ed being beaten with a wrench. It happened quite a lot, as Scar had soon realized. About a minute later, Ed walked into the room, stopping in front of Al and taking the spoon from him, "Here, _I'll_ do it," turning to Scar, he held the spoon full of soup in front of the stubborn Ishbalan's face, "Hey, eat it." When Scar just turned his head away slightly, Ed sighed, "Okay, fine then," and quickly shoved the spoon into Scar's mouth before he could react. Surprised, Scar accidentally inhaled some of the soup and began coughing uncontrollably for nearly a full minute.

"Niisan! You can't _do _things like that!"

"Well _your_ way wasn't working," Ed didn't look the least bit guilty as he turned to Scar again, "You're eating this one way or another. Either I can shove every single spoonful down your throat, or you could just let Al feed you. Your choice."

Scar only glared, the look in his eyes daring him to just _try_ it.

"Okay, if that's the way you want it, then…" Ed readied another spoonful of soup, and thus the battle began.

Al shook his head and walked out, muttering, "They're _both_ too stubborn for their own good…" He really hoped that this wouldn't happen _every_ time Scar had to eat until he was strong enough to feed himself.

* * *

It was the third morning. Scar had awoken to see that neither Ed nor Al seemed to be around. This was slightly unusual, as one or the other was generally within earshot if not eyeshot. He wasn't worried or upset, simply curious as to where they had gone. The atmosphere of the house and its occupants was quiet and slightly subdued until the pair returned later in the afternoon, and he wondered what it was that they had been doing.

Alphonse was the one who answered the unspoken question, "We were visiting Mom today."

Nothing more needed to be said.

* * *

On the fourth afternoon, there was a slight incident. A man came by to have his automail repaired, and since there was no time to hide Scar somewhere else, they covered most of his face with a cloth and hoped that he wouldn't be recognized. Fortunately he wasn't, and once the man was in the surgery room the danger had temporarily passed. The hours passed by, and the screams of pain from the surgery room where Pinako and Winry worked were audible throughout the house.

Ed was feeding Scar again, his face stony as the horrible noise filtered through the walls. Al had needed to go outside to get away from it.

"Is it really that painful?" Scar asked quietly.

Ed was quiet for a few moments before answering, "Yes."

Scar's usual frown deepened slightly and he fell silent, thinking.

* * *

With each passing day, Scar learned more about the 'family' that he had temporarily become a part of. He observed many things; he now knew that Ed hated milk, that Al would often bring in cats out of the rain, that Winry obsessively loved machinery…all sorts of little quirks that he had been completely unaware of. For the most part, the house had a peaceful, calming atmosphere. It made a nice change from past years. It was nice to rest, just for a little while.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ I gave y'all a nice chapter with no cliffhanger, since, as you know, I'll be gone for a full week starting Tuesday. I liked writing all the different scenes in this one; especially the second one. As for the card game…well, I'm guessing that Ed talked Scar into it out of boredom.  
__Scar: How long will it be before I can actually move again?  
__Well, that's up to you. Definitely not next chapter according to the ideas you've given me…maybe the one after?  
__Scar: -shrug- Sounds good to me.  
__Great.__ Oh, I'm _so_ going to be sketching out some of these scenes on those plane rides…Oh, and in completely unrelated news I found a nearly perfect song for Scar and Al's unique little relationship. It's called 'Best I Am' by Flaw, and it makes me cry every time I listen to it.  
__Scar: And not only do you cry, but you also hug me every time you listen to it.  
__Hehe__, yeah.__ If I knew how to make AMVs I would make one out of it in a heartbeat. Go look up the lyrics, and listen to it if you can. It's really good. Now that I've finished my shameless advertising, I'll answer reviews._

_Darkness Shadow of Hatred: But I need my muse! -laughs-  
__Anasazi__ Darkmoon: Hahahaha! It's still pretty funny. XD  
__The Great Neodragon: Yay! I'm glad you like it. Oh, and before I forget, if I'm not mistaken one of the super amazing Scar AMVs that I found was by you. It's like 'OMGdrooltwitchspazz'. Just thought you'd like to know that. :)  
__crazyanimefreak15: Yay, someone else who loves that! Trouble…well, I don't know how much trouble there could be since Scar-san can't move and Ed is under threat by Winry…  
__no__ one's friend: XD You sound just like my friends. Love the little skit-thingy.  
__Silvertails__ Tora: Why thank you. I don't think Scar-san really cares that much that we're all enjoying his misery so much. Well, my Scar-san doesn't, anyway. I don't know what the real one would think…he probably would be rather annoyed.  
__Lady Jaye1: Glad that you seem to be enjoying the story. :)  
__LadyRiona__: S'okay. It's great that you like my story so much!  
__candidus__-lupus-full__ Moon: Thanks!  
__Moonglitter2: Thank you!_


	7. Fever

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Fever  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_Yeah, for Scar's nightmare/past from Episode 24.  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Whoo__, I'm back from Japan! I ate the sushi! I visited about ten Shinto Shrines! I saw real live Geishas! I bought cheap novelty junk, a sword, and a kimono! I even…dun dun dun…went to a public bath (very awkward)! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! The only bad part was the thirteen hour plane trip (I was soooo bored…one can only write for so long…) and the giant lines at the airport. But I didn't get sick, hurt, or killed, and my tour group only got lost three times. More fun stuff down in the bottom AN. Now, on to the chapter (the longest one yet!)

* * *

_

The fifth day dawned bright. Very bright. Too bright for Scar, especially since the curtains on the window were open and the sun was shining directly into his eyes. He grimaced and closed his eyes tighter in a futile attempt to block out the sunlight, wishing that he could move his arm up to cover them.

"Do you want me to close the curtains, Scar-san?" Al asked. Since the animated suit of armor couldn't sleep, he had been in charge of watching the ill Ishbalan while everyone else slept. The arrangement had worked rather well so far.

Scar nodded in response to the question, and Al obligingly got up and shut the curtains. Ah, sweet darkness. He was feeling a little better that day; he hoped that he might get back enough strength to move soon. That was a pleasant thought.

Unfortunately, the feeling of getting better didn't last long; Scar's condition sort of started going downhill shortly after everyone else woke up and came downstairs. By midday he was on painkillers again for the massive headache he had acquired. But it seemed that his system didn't react well to something in the medicine, and so he was behaving rather…oddly.

"There is a blue goat in the corner," he stated very calmly. Then he gave a sort of half-laugh, "It has wings."

Ed, who was the only one in the room at the time, gaped soundlessly. He had never seen even the _ghost_ of a smile on the Ishbalan's face, and here the man was _laughing_! About winged blue goats no less! He shouted up the stairs, "WINRY! Scar's drunk on the pain medicine! Get down here!" and then as an afterthought, "And bring a camera!"

By the time the effects of the medicine wore off, Ed had so much blackmail it wasn't even funny. Al had been slightly disapproving at first, but then Ed showed him the pictures and repeated some of the things Scar had been saying; it was impossible for Al _not_ to laugh.

"Niisan, don't show him these pictures!" Al gasped out between laughs.

"Oh, don't worry about that, dear brother of mine," Ed grinned, "I don't want him to blow them up. These are precious moments that will _never_ happen again!"

But the joviality was cut short a few minutes later, when the pair walked back into the living room. Scar, who had been sleeping peacefully when they had left, was hyperventilating, brow drenched with sweat and unfocused eyes full of pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Al cried, rushing over to him.

"I don't know! We couldn't have been gone for more than ten minutes!" Ed placed his left hand on Scar's forehead, withdrawing it quickly, "It feels like he's on fire! Where're Winry and Aunt Pinako?"

"I think they left to go to town a little while ago…Niisan, what do we do?" Al's worry for Scar was clearly evident in his voice.

Ed was trying to stay calm, "Okay, Al, don't panic! You stay here with him, and I'll go find them," he didn't wait for an answer before sprinting out the door. Fortunately, they were already coming back up the road, so he didn't have to run far. Unfortunately, there was a very familiar someone accompanying them.

"Hello, young Edward!" Armstrong waved, pink sparkles floating around him.

"M-major?" Ed screeched to a halt, "What are you doing here?"

"I have been sent to be your bodyguard once again, young Edward! Scar was sighted in Central again before you left, vanishing without a trace when you came here. It had been deemed too much to be a coincidence, and it was decided that one is better safe than sorry!"

Ed's mind raced, "Uh…well, we haven't seen him around here, so…uh…" then he remembered why he was out there in the first place, "Auntie, something happened back up at the house! There's something really wrong with him!"

"With whom? Alphonse?" Armstrong asked curiously.

"No, with…well, there's this sick person that we're taking care of…" Ed trailed off.

"I see," Pinako interrupted, "Winry, Ed, get up there as fast as you can. I'll be there soon after."

"Right," they spoke at the same time, turning to run back up to the house.

* * *

It seemed like ages were passing as Al sat by Scar's side and waited desperately for Ed, Winry, and Pinako. He was afraid to do anything, in case he just made things worse. At last, Ed and Winry hurtled through the door and stopped in front of the couch.

"It looks like his fever's spiking…we can't do much for him except wait it out and keep the fever from getting too high," Winry gave him a sympathetic look, "Poor guy…but we have bigger problems at the moment."

Ed explained hurriedly, "Al, Major Armstrong is here. We have to hide Scar _now_."

"W-what? Why is he here?"

"No time to explain right now; he'll be here any second and-" Ed was cut off by the sound of an opening door, "He's here! Quick, get in front of the couch!"

A few seconds later, Armstrong and Pinako entered the living room to find Ed, Al, and Winry standing in a line blocking any view of the couch.

"Er…hi, Armstrong-san…" Al waved weakly.

"Greetings, Alphonse! What is it that you are all standing in front of?"

"Well, he's that sick person I told you about…" Ed trailed off, hoping that the Major would accept the incomplete explanation.

"Ah, I see. He wishes to have privacy, does he not? But why are you standing idle when you had seemed frantic about a problem in his condition just minutes ago?"

"Well, yes, but there isn't much we can do for him right now…" Winry gave a worried half frown-half smile.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance, with the artistic healing technique passed down through the Armstrong family line for generations!" Armstrong did his classic sparkly shirtless posing, stunning everyone else into temporary paralysis. This delayed reaction time, although it hadn't been intended, allowed him to stride forward towards the couch and see exactly who was lying on it.

"Major, wait-!" Ed shouted, but it was too late.

As soon as Armstrong saw Scar, he swept Ed, Al, and Winry behind him and adopted an offensive stance, "Stay back, young Elrics and Miss Rockbell! I will make sure that you are not hurt by this dangerous criminal!"

"Armstrong-san, it's fine, really…" Al moved his hands in a calming manner.

"He can't even move, actually- he's really sick," Ed added.

"Yes," Pinako walked forward, "Now if you will all either calm down or go somewhere else so that I can stabilize his condition somewhat…"

Armstrong looked hesitant to leave the room, but another look at Scar in his present condition was all it took. He, Ed, and Al walked out of the room, leaving Pinako and Winry to their work.

Once they were out, Ed turned to Armstrong, "Listen, Major, I know this might be an…odd situation, but it's really completely under control. He swore not to hurt anyone, providing we don't turn him in to the military."

"But how did he come to be here? Did he _ask_ for your aid?" Armstrong looked skeptical about this last question.

Ed waved his hand dismissively, "No. Al found him unconscious and kidnapped him."

"I didn't _kidnap_ him, Niisan!" Al protested.

"Al, you stuffed him in your armor and ran off with him, _without_ his consent. That constitutes kidnapping."

Armstrong interrupted before the argument got out of hand, "If this is true, then why did he not destroy you with his right arm upon awakening, as one would expect him to?"

Ed shrugged, "For some reason, he hasn't been able to use it. He's been too weak to even _move_ since Al found him."

"Armstrong-san, he's really no danger at all. He's been almost perfectly civil to everyone, even Niisan, this whole time," Al was using his metaphorical puppy-dog eyes, "Please don't tell anyone that he's here!"

Armstrong never could stand up against puppy-dog eyes, not even metaphorical ones, "Very well. I will trust your judgment, although I will remain here. It would seem suspicious if I were to return to Central alone after being assigned to protect the two of you while you are here. And I will not be the cause of the breaking of the agreement that is keeping you all safe."

Both Ed and Al sighed in relief, thinking what good fortune it was that their 'bodyguard' was Armstrong and not someone else. Someone else that wouldn't have been as understanding of the odd situation, nor as lenient.

* * *

Scar was having the nightmare again. The one where Ishbal was destroyed, and a shadowed State Alchemist killed his brother and master while he was helpless to do anything but watch. As the cruelly smirking alchemist turned his attention on Scar, the Ishbalan found himself rooted to the spot with blind fear as the cursed hands were stretched towards him…and then just as he was about to be killed, his eyes snapped open, ending the terrible dream. He looked around him in a panic, having forgotten for an instant where he was. Then he saw Winry and Pinako sitting beside him, and he calmed; they were something familiar, something _safe_.

"Oh, you're awake! Good, good," Winry smiled, "Are you feeling all right?"

"I-I'm feeling…" Scar had been about to say 'fine', but suddenly he felt nauseous, and a sour taste grew in the back of his mouth. '_Oh, no…_' his eyes widened as he realized what these signs meant was about to happen, "I'm going to-" he was cut off mid-sentence as his stomach heaved and began to empty itself. Fortunately, Pinako was experienced with sick people and had kept a bucket near the couch. When it was over, there wasn't much that wasn't in the bucket, but the blankets and robe would still have to be washed. Al was called in to carry Scar to a temporary new spot while everything was changed; the only thing available was a surgery bed in another room down the hall. Then came the problem of finding a temporary replacement robe. After some searching, the only one that could be found was a fluffy pink one with bunnies, hearts, and rainbows stitched around the hems; Winry had gotten it as a gift from someone who obviously didn't know her very well. Scar looked rather silly in it; Ed's 'Blackmail Album' got a few new additions on account of this, much to Scar's chagrin.

* * *

Later that night, Al was alone with Scar once again. The Ishbalan was lying awake, staring into space and thinking, when Al spoke.

"Scar-san…earlier today when you were feverish…you kept crying out for your brother. What were you dreaming about?"

Scar looked surprised at the question, then turned his eyes downward, "Ishbal."

"Oh…" Al sounded sad, and felt a bit guilty for bringing it up, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," was the only reply as Scar slowly fell asleep. '_Don't be…_'

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Aaaawwww…how sweet! You know, I react like that to some pain medicines; I saw a video of myself once acting just like Scar must have been…it was hilarious. I have to watch what I take. And ooooh, I got that fluffy pink bathrobe in there after all! I snuck it in while Scar was spazzing about the plane ride.  
__Scar: I don't LIKE flying!  
__Envy: Don't like it? That's the understatement of the century! You were terrified! I thought you were going to crush the armrests you were gripping them so hard!  
__Don't be mean, Envy. That was a pretty rough flight for a first-timer. Ten hours of near constant turbulence, and over an ocean the whole way, too. And don't forget how _you _reacted to the airline food…  
__Envy: Hey, that stuff was MOVING.  
__Well that's what you get for asking for beef on an airplane. Anyway, I'll answer reviews now, before this argument turns into its own story._

_The Great NeoDragon: I'm glad you think I'm keeping them fairly in character. And you know, I didn't think about the little brother thing...that's such a cute idea! I might have to write an alternate ending...  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Hahaha, me too. Yay for manga!  
ImperialJedi: Yay! I'm glad you liked it so much.  
crazyanimefreak15: Oh, I watched it! It was good. -nodnod- Yeah, Ed cheats at cards all the time apparently.  
no one's friend: That's a good idea. Do you mind if I use it?  
Roxie Faye: -eye twitch- Aaaaaaaaaa...nuuuu...that's not what I'm going for at all. I hate that pairing. Maybe friends.  
candidus-lupus-full Moon: Thanks!  
Silvertails Tora: That they do. I'll email you the AMVs, cause the list is kinda long...  
D.C talk: Thank you! That he is. And such pretty, pretty eyes.  
LadyRiona: Heeee, thank you! I'm working on the sketches, trying to get them to look right.  
Wind Wanderer: Thank you! I love that line too.  
Darkness Shadow of Hatred: Run faster, run faster! XD_


	8. Fireflies

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Fireflies  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_None  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Back to the shorter chapters. But I like this one a lot, despite the length.

* * *

_

When Scar awoke on the sixth morning, he was feeling a good deal better than he had been since his illness took hold. And better yet, he seemed to have regained some of his strength! He pushed himself up into a half-sitting position and looked around to see that he was alone in the room. But not for long; Al walked in a few seconds later, stopping in surprise.

"Scar-san! You can move again! You must be starting to recover," if Al could have smiled, he would have, "Anyway, everything's been washed, so I was supposed to carry you back to the couch, but I guess it'd be okay if you walked…"

Scar nodded, relieved. He hadn't liked being carried at all; it made him feel weak and helpless, like a small child. He slid off the bed, standing shakily for a few seconds before falling over. Fortunately, Al caught him before he hit the ground. He cursed inwardly; he still wasn't strong enough to walk on his own. He also still needed Al's help when he changed out of 'that horrid pink thing' into his normal blue robe. He hated this sickness; he was an independent person by nature, and now because of his condition he was forced to be entirely dependant on others. Now it was time to walk; even though he was mostly supported by Al, anything was better than being _carried_ around like an infant.

It was slow going, but with Al's help he managed to get all the way to the living room, although even going this short distance left him exhausted. But he didn't show it. Everyone was there, including Armstrong, and they were all surprised to see Scar walking. Scar was surprised to see Armstrong, and was instantly on edge.

"When did _he_ get here?" Scar questioned, his voice stony.

"Yesterday; you were delirious at the time, so you didn't notice," Ed shrugged, "Oh, and sit down before you collapse. You probably shouldn't be walking around yet, anyway."

Scar shot Ed a glare, but sat down on the couch anyway before questioning further, "Why is he here? Have you broken your promise so soon, Edward Elric?" his expression was unreadable.

Armstrong answered, "He has not. I was sent to protect the Elric brothers from danger. Your secret is still safe, and will continue to remain safe with me. I have sworn to this at the insistence of Alphonse."

Al nodded, "We can trust him, Scar-san."

"Beh…" Scar turned his head to the side.

Ed whispered to Armstrong, "Mostly we figure that means 'fine'."

* * *

Pinako forced Scar to rest for the remainder of the day, saying that he shouldn't have even _thought_ about trying to walk so soon. Although this rankled slightly, he was content for the moment with being able to simply move at all. Ed had made a sarcastic comment about how he would miss their little force-feeding bouts, which Scar had not seen fit to dignify with an answer. And then…there was Armstrong. With his family history. Within five minutes Scar was about ready to kill him just for the sake of shutting the man up. Al had rescued poor Scar from the sparkly lecture by calling Armstrong into another room, for which the Ishbalan felt he would be eternally grateful.

* * *

That evening, just as the sun was setting, Ed came running in from outside, "Hey, the fireflies are out!"

Winry was excited, "Really? They're early this year!"

"Come on, Scar-san. I'll carry you outside to see!" Al sounded just as excited as Winry.

Scar shook his head, "No. I can walk for myself."

"But Scar-san…Aunt Pinako said that you shouldn't…"

Pinako walked in at this moment, "If he's that determined to, he can, certainly. But," she fixed a warning gaze on Scar, "forcing it like that _will_ slow your recovery."

"I can walk," Scar was determined, all right. He would not be carried again.

"At least let me help you so you don't fall…"

Scar agreed to this, although not readily. This time when he stood, Al supported him right away so he would not have the chance to fall. Fortunately this was an even shorter distance than the first time, and once they got outside it was immediately apparent that it had been worth the slight difficulty.

It was beautiful. There were hundreds and hundreds of fireflies, their lights winking on and off all throughout the green fields of Rizembool. The sun had almost finished setting, so the sky was painted with stunning navy blues and purples, with some pink and orange near the horizon. Scar had never seen anything like it; he barely noticed the presence of the others on the porch once Al had set him down.

"Hey, Al, remember we used to see how many we could catch?"

"Yeah, we made a game out of it, and I always won."

Ed gave a mischievous grin, "Wanna see if you've still got that skill?"

"Sound's fun. I'll go get a jar for them."

"No need. We already have one," Ed grinned again.

"Niisan, I can't believe you would use _me_ as a firefly jar!" Al exclaimed. But it was obvious that he didn't mind. The two of them were running around like young children amongst that fireflies, catching as many as they could, with all those on the porch (save for Scar, of course) occasionally cheering them on or laughing. It was such a peaceful and beautiful scene that, for the first time in many years, a true smile crossed Scar's features for a brief instant.

Hours later, when they could no longer see clearly in the dark, Ed and Al came back up onto the porch to find that Scar had fallen asleep.

"Wow. He looks…different when he's asleep. All peaceful," Ed noted, "I hadn't really noticed it before. Don't move him, Al, I'm getting the camera."

"Niisan, you're turning into Hughes," Al laughed quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping Ishbalan, as he opened up the front of his armor to set the captive fireflies free. Several of them hovered around Scar, illuminating his, for once, peaceful expression with their softly flickering light.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Awwww__…pure fluff, this one. So sweet and cute. I'm thinking about drawing some of these photos Ed keeps taking.  
__Envy: Yeah, add that to the massive pile of pictures that you want to do but haven't.  
__I know, I know. I have far too many ideas, and not quite the right skill to actually get them on the paper the way I want them. I wish I could just, like, plug my brain into the computer and scan the images I imagine, because they're a lot better than what actually gets drawn. XP Now to answer reviews…_

_Great NeoDragon: Yay! I'm really glad you like it so much. X3  
__LadyRiona__: Yes, temporary. Much to Scar-san's relief. That sounds really funny with your friend. As for the airline food…well, the fruit and the roll were good. That's about it though. MY RICE WAS STALE. Blech…  
__ImperialJedi__: Thanks for the nice review. :) As for what Scar-san will do…you'll just have to wait and see. -evil grin-  
__MoonGlitter2: Thank you!  
__Roxie Faye: Thanks much! And right, one couldn't possibly expect them to be mortal enemies. -is relieved about the lack of asking for ScarxEd-  
__Anasazi__ Darkmoon: Good luck with Azrael and the writer's block! Hehehe…stoned Scar-san…  
__D.C talk: Thanks! Japan was…different, but in a good way. Except for the fact that the food wasn't always that good. And hot? -shrugs- I guess he is, but that's not what I like about him. And, yes, I like Wolf's Rain a lot, and Scar and Tsume are insanely similar, right down to the X-shaped scar and the white hair and the bitter attitudes. XD  
__Wind Wanderer: Armstrong scares me too…but he's okay. Funny comic relief man. Don't shoot the kitty, because here's a new chapter!  
__no__ one's friend: Seto Kaiba…hehehehe…that's funny. Glad you liked the chapter!  
__Madetsuchi__ Hayosuki: Oh, whoops, it looks like QuickEdit deleted it…um, it was www (dot) animemusicvideos (dot) org (just replace the dots with periods, y'know).  
__candidus__-lupus-full Moon: Thank you!_


	9. Water

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Water  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_None  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Ah, man, I'm starting to run out of days…something is telling me to stall for time…

* * *

_

The next two days passed without much incident. Scar's strength was coming back by inches, and he was now able to walk mostly on his own, although not for very long periods. He had also become somewhat accustomed to Armstrong's presence, but it was doubtful that he would ever be truly at ease with him.

* * *

On the eighth night, there was a terrible thunderstorm. Rain pounded on the roof and windows, and the wind howled. Lightning split the sky, and thunder crashed after it. Sleep was near impossible for Scar, so he stared out at the howling storm through the window. Eventually, though, it died down and sleep came at last.

* * *

Despite the terrible weather the night before, the ninth day was bright and sunny, although a bit wet.

"Niisan, that was a really bad storm. We should go down to the town and see if there was any flooding," Al suggested after breakfast, "They might want some extra help, if there was."

Ed shrugged, "Eh, I guess so. Not much to do around here anyway," and stood, heading for the door.

"Hey, niisan, should we bring Scar-san with us? I mean, he hasn't been outside except for once…" Al turned to Scar, "_Would_ you like to come? It's a really nice day out."

Scar didn't even need to think twice before nodding. He hadn't enjoyed being trapped indoors for so long, and any chance to go outside would be taken right away.

* * *

The four of them (Armstrong had come as well) slowly walked down the dirt path towards the river. Scar was wearing his regular clothes again, and he was rather pleased about that. And even though they had to stop every once in a while so that he could rest for a short time, which made Ed slightly impatient, Scar was content enough just to be walking outside again and didn't mind much. Finally they reached the banks of the river, which, although quite swollen from the rain, didn't seem to have actually overflowed its banks. Ed walked up to the very edge of the steep bank, looking into the swift, murky water with something akin to curiosity. Scar, wondering what could possibly be so interesting in that water, walked over to where he stood. That bit of the bank, soft and weakened by the rain, could not hold the combined weight of the two of them and collapsed.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. One moment, Ed and Scar were standing on solid ground, the next, they were falling. Al rushed forward to catch them, managing to get hold of the hem of Ed's red coat, but the hand that had tried to catch Scar closed around empty air.

"Scar-san!" Al cried as the Ishbalan hit the water with a splash and vanished beneath the swift current. He pulled Ed back onto solid ground, eyes scanning the surface of the river frantically, but there was no sign of Scar at all. Another splash was heard, and Al saw that Armstrong had dived into the river.

* * *

The second Scar had hit the water, he had been pulled under by the fierce current. He flailed his arms and legs desperately, unable to tell which way was up or down, unable to see, unable to breathe…he was being tossed and turned, completely trapped in the grip of the current. His frantic hands found nothing but more water to grasp…he couldn't find the surface, or even the bottom. His lungs felt like they were about to burst, and he knew that, short of a miracle, he was going to drown. '_Ishbala…_'

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grasp the collar of his trenchcoat and pull him backwards. Out of pure instinct he latched onto it, clinging like a limpet, and then within seconds he and his rescuer broke the surface of the water. Scar coughed and gasped, gulping in air and thanking Ishbala with every fibre of his being. He then looked up at his rescuer, and discovered that the arm he was currently clinging to like his life depended on it (which it did) belonged to Armstrong, who thankfully still had his shirt on.

"Don't let go, whatever you do."

Scar gave a small nod and clung harder. At this point, he didn't care if he was holding onto the _Fuhrer_; there was no way in hell he was going to let go. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to calm his rapidly pounding heart as the deadly waters rushed around them.

* * *

After Armstrong had gone into the river, Ed and Al had run along the bank after him. He dove underwater, where he remained for several minutes. The brothers had just begun to fear that both Scar and Armstrong had drowned when the Major broke the surface of the water, Scar clinging tightly to his left arm and thankfully still very much alive. Now the only problem was getting them both _out_. Then Ed had an idea. He clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground, forming a strong net out of the mud and rock in the riverbed. It stretched all the way across the river, so there was no way Armstrong wouldn't be able to grab onto it. He managed to use the net as a ladder to climb out of the water, even though Scar remained attached to his arm the whole time. Only once they were on entirely solid, dry land did the Ishbalan let go, simply sliding off onto the ground and not moving. He looked rather pathetic, with his hair plastered to his head and clothes looking like they had their own little rivers coming out of them. Not to mention he still had a kind of panicked look in his eyes.

"Hey, Scar, you all right?" Ed asked, his tone neutral. Scar gave a tiny, almost invisible, nod. He seemed to be in shock. Ed leaned forward, "You don't know how to swim, do you?"

Scar's reply could barely be heard, "No…"

"Thought you were going to die?"

"Yes…"

"But you didn't."

"Yes…"

"And you aren't injured."

"No…"

"So get up. You'll be fine."

Scar didn't say a word, but took Al's offered hand and pulled himself off the ground.

And so the group went back along the path to the house in silence. Until they had nearly gotten there, and Ed commented nonchalantly, "By the way, Scar, you look like a drowned rat."

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ You know, I don't think Scar-san can swim. I mean, he grew up in the _desert_, and he didn't really have a reason to learn after that. And not to mention the fact that in the manga, there's one bit where he's fighting Lust and Gluttony (kinda like an extension of the 1st Library Battle) in the sewers, and gets knocked in the water, and there's only three panels there before the scene ends, but in one of them he really looks like a person who's trying to swim but doesn't know how. Scar-san, we need to teach you how to swim.  
__Scar: What? Why?  
__Envy: This chapter is why. Do you think you would've come so close to drowning if you had known how to swim?  
__Scar: …Point taken. Fine.  
__Oh, and by the way, the next chapter is probably going to be fairly difficult to write, so I'm not quite sure how long it will take. It might even turn out to not take long at all. But I think that it'd be a good idea to warn you all, just in case. Now, to answer reviews!_

_Anasazi Darkmoon: I bet he is too. X3 Well, yeah, it's getting to the end, but I have a nice sequel idea...  
ImperialJedi: Yeah, I have tons of fireflies during the summer where I live. They're so pretty...Anyway, I'm sure Scar-san has been able to have a bath at some point, even if I didn't mention it. I think it'd be funnyif hehid in Al again too (of his own free will, this time).  
Moonglitter2: Thank you!  
no one's friend: Thanks! I have a fat cat too (actually I have three, but only oneof 'em is fat)  
D.C talk: XD That you would be. Good thing he IS in the TV, or I'd be in for a world of hurt right along with you. I read your crossover; it was nice. :)  
crazyanimefreak15: Hehehe... (Scar: -reading over shoulder- Heeeey...)  
Wind Wanderer: Joy! Scar plushie! -hugs- (Scar: How'd you get those pictures? -sulks- )  
LadyRiona: I don't think it will ever resurface, much to Scar-san's joy. Yes, now I can have good rice, and normal, regular, Western food. -sigh of relief- I'll put upall the pictures I've drawn so far just as soon as I can make my scanner work._


	10. Hostage

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Hostage  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong, 'the man'  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_None  
_**_Warnings: _**_Cursing, blood  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_I got the new FMA game (Curse of the Crimson Elixir) the other day, and it is GREAT. Simple battle system, interesting story (so far it's been kind of this weird AU mix of the anime and manga storylines, with a whole bunch of new stuff thrown in), really nice graphics, and Scar. Even if he's an enemy/boss. But I've only had to fight him once so far, and that fight you aren't SUPPOSED to win; I got knocked out in three hits, and didn't have to hurt him once (first time I've ever actually been _happy_ about this happening in a game…). And then there was a really cool scene thingy. So that was real neat. Anywho, I really recommend this game; it's a lot of fun.

* * *

_

Once the quartet had gotten back to the house, Scar had been thoroughly dried off, wrapped in blankets, and given some tea. They had offered to do the same for Armstrong, but he had declined. Later that night, Scar found himself in deep thought. This made twice that he had been saved by his 'enemies'. The first time, of course, being when Al had brought him here. Scar had tried to kill his brother, and nearly killed him…he had _known_ the great danger involved in helping the Ishbalan the way he had, but had done it anyway. He could have easily turned him in to the military, or even simply left him there to die. And now, a State Alchemist, not to mention one whose life Scar had nearly taken, had saved him from drowning at the risk of his own life. And, from what he'd heard from Alphonse on the matter, had done it without hesitation. It was…confusing, to say the least. Such thoughts as these chased each other around and around his mind many times before sleep came.

* * *

By the next morning, he was feeling a bit lightheaded, and his throat ached, but Pinako assured him that they would probably have vanished by the end of the day, and that he was lucky that this was all that had happened to him after falling into the river like that. And she was right; both symptoms were gone by the start of the afternoon. He was getting stronger, but he realized that this meant that his time here was drawing to a close. A small part of him wished that it wasn't, but there was no stopping the flow of time. By about two o' clock, his clothes were dry, and despite what had happened the day before he got up, put them on, and went outside after telling the others where he was going. He didn't go as far as the river; but the house was no longer in sight when he stopped and sat down in the waving grass a short ways from the road. He sat there for hours, lost in thought, until a voice behind him brought him out of his reverie.

"Ah, here you are," Winry knelt down about a foot to the side of him, "I can see why you came out here; it's so quiet and pretty."

"Hnn," he replied noncommittally.

"You know…" she smiled, "you'll always be welcome here, if you ever wanted to come back."

He gave her a surprised look, then turned back to stare into the distance, not saying a word. He'd assumed that once he was healed, it would be 'get out and never come back'. The pair sat in silence for a short while, but the silence was interrupted by a gruff voice.

"Hey, girl, are you Winry Rockbell?" a tall man with narrowed eyes stood behind them, surrounded by a group of six other men.

Winry stood up, "Yes. Who are you?"

"Oh, nobody important," the man shrugged, then drew a pistol, aiming it directly at her, "Just cooperate and come with us, and nobody gets hurt. You too," he gestured the gun at Scar, "Since you were unlucky enough to be hanging around. Stand up and walk on over here with her. No funny business, now."

Scar narrowed his eyes, slowly he standing before turning to face the men. A glance at Winry showed that the girl was afraid; his frown deepened, and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, saying one word, "Run," before shoving her back behind him and racing towards the tall man with the gun. The man only had time to fire once before Scar had knocked the gun out of his hands to fly about fifteen feet away; the shot had only grazed Scar's shoulder, but the wound still burned with pain. But there was no time to stop, because now he was outnumbered seven to one and there was no time to do anything but fight this one-sided battle. He managed to last a full minute before something hard smashed into the base of his neck and he blacked out.

Once he was down, one of the men looked over his shoulder in the direction Winry had gone, "Should we go after her?"

"No," the leader growled, spitefully giving the unconscious Scar a small kick, "She's long gone. But if even if we lost her, we've still got a hostage. We'll have to modify our original plan some, but I've got an idea."

* * *

Winry was running towards the house faster than she'd ever run before in her life. She had to get someone; Scar couldn't possibly last long on his own, not in his condition and without the use of his arm. He needed help, and she was the only person right now who could get it.

Finally she reached the house, and hurtled through the front door, "Ed! Al!"

"Hmmm? What's the matter, Winry? Did you bring Scar back?" Ed gave her a questioning look.

Winry, tired from the mad dash, put her hands on her knees, gasping out the message, "It's Scar…there were these men…they were trying to…kidnap me…but he's…fighting them…you have to help!"

"WHAT?" Ed shouted, "Al! Armstrong! Get in here, we've got a problem!" he turned to Winry, "Tell them what's happening. I'm going on ahead," and with that, he ran out the door.

* * *

When the others found Ed, he was standing in front of a small patch of bloodstained grass, a pistol held tightly in his hand. His voice was stony, "I was too late. They're gone, and they've got Scar with them…if he's even still alive. I found this," he tossed the gun at their feet, "over there in the grass," he clenched his teeth, "Dammit…"

"Niisan…what are we going to do?" Al's voice was filled with worry.

"We're going to find him, Al. And when we do, I sure wouldn't want to be the sorry bastards who did this."

* * *

Scar regained consciousness slowly, and the first thing he was aware of was that the back of his head hurt like no other, and that his shoulder burned like it was on fire. The second thing was that there was a large, foul-tasting piece of cloth stuffed into his mouth. And then came the realization that he was lying on a hard surface, with his wrists bound tightly behind his back and ankles bound as well. His hands were completely numb, so he knew he must have been bound, and therefore unconscious, for several hours at the least. An icy feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach as he slowly opened his eyes to find that he was lying on the floor in the kitchen of the Rockbell home, and that all around him were the men who had taken him captive.

One of them looked over at Scar and saw that his eyes were open, "Hey, boss, he's up!"

The leader of the group walked over to where Scar lay, "So, the noble knight awakes," he saw Scar's blazing look of fury, and kicked the Ishbalan in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, "Such a bold look for someone in your position. Know your place, Ishbal rat."

Scar felt a low growl rise in his throat, but suppressed it, instead giving the floor a narrow-eyed glare of pure death.

"I suppose you're wondering where your friends are, hmmm? Well, they're out looking for you. Ain't that _sweet_? It's getting pretty dark…they should get back soon." There was the sound of a door opening, and footsteps coming inside. The man gave a smirk that Scar didn't like at all, saying quietly, "In fact, that would be them now. Time for the show."

The man grabbed a fistful of Scar's hair and hauled him up onto his knees, then drew a large knife from his belt and pressed the blade to the Ishbalan's throat. That was when everyone came around the corner and stopped dead in their tracks.

"Nobody move. Any alchemy, and he'll be dead before you can blink. All of you, sit on the floor and put your hands out in front of you where I can see them."

Ed clenched his fists tightly, "What the hell are you doing?"

"No asking questions," the man yanked back hard on Scar's hair, eliciting a small sound of pain from the back of the Ishbalan's throat, "Just do what I tell you, or your buddy here suffers the consequences."

Ed didn't move for a few seconds, looking torn, until slowly he sat down on the floor and held out his hands.

"Yeah, that's right, and the rest of you, now. Don't doubt that I'm serious here," the man pressed the knife a bit harder, drawing a small amount of blood, and the others quickly followed Ed's example. The man gave a nod to his followers, and they moved forward with rope and began to bind the wrists of their new captives. The man gave a barking laugh, "So, the life of an Ishbal rat is all it takes to capture the famed Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd been worried that it wouldn't be enough, when the girl got away. But it turned out all right in the end, didn't it? And now that I have _two_ of the military's precious State Alchemists, they'll _have_ to accede to our demands!"

"You're insane," Ed said softly.

"Maybe I am, kid, but I'm still getting my way, aren't I?"

Scar wasn't listening anymore. He could only pay attention to the horrified looks on the faces of the people who had helped him, and to the cold fury that was quickly rising in him. He was being _used_. Used as a tool to hurt those whom he did not wish to hurt. And he _did not like it_. He didn't even notice the faint red glow that was emanating from his right arm.

Al noticed it, "Niisan…"

"Yeah, Al, I know," Ed had also seen, but was pointedly looking in the other direction so as not to draw attention to it.

"Hey, quit whispering!" the man yanked on Scar's hair again, "You'll _all_ shut up, unless you want me to start _really_ hurting him."

Scar's right arm was beginning to glow more brightly, although the trenchcoat obscured most of the light. And his rage was mounting right along with it. He would NOT be used! He twisted his wrists around and grabbed onto one of the man's legs with his right hand, and before anyone knew what was happening there was an explosion of blood and crimson light, and everything dissolved into chaos. Blood everywhere…the man screaming…Scar didn't know what was happening anymore; since he was no longer being held up, he had fallen face-first back onto the floor, into the widening pool of blood spurting from what remained of the man's leg. It was everywhere…in his mouth, his nose, his eyes…he couldn't get up out of it and the screams filled his ears, drowning out all else. Then he was lifted from the ground, and carried away from the fighting and the blood and the screams.

"It's going to be all right now, Scar-san. Niisan and Armstrong-san have it all under control," Al's tone was comforting as he lay the blood-covered Ishbalan on the couch and untied his wrists and ankles and removed the gag from his mouth.

Scar's face wore an unreadable expression as he brought his right arm up, staring at it with an almost sad expression, "Am I so welcome here now, Alphonse Elric?"

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ -rants and raves at the computer screen- _Nobody_ calls Scar-san that and gets away with it, not even my own characters! Burn and die, scum!  
__Scar: Oo; It's not _that_ big a deal…I mean, I've already blown his leg off…  
__But he yanked on your hair and called you…called you…oh, I can't even say it…anyway, I don't think I've hurt him enough.  
__Envy: And _you_ said you would make a terrible Homunculus because you weren't very violent!  
__But I'm not! Most of the time, anyway…Anywho, I'm having some trouble deciding what I'm going to do with the next chapter, so once again, I'm not sure how long it'll take. But I'm slightly calmer now, so I'll answer reviews._

_crazyanimefreak15: I think he might have been a bit too busy afterwards, what with all the repeated savings of Ed and Al's sorry butts (well, Al was grateful, but Ed sure wasn't...). To Ed: Quit laughing, or I'll bring out the Chopsticks of Punishment again!  
Anasazi Darkmoon: -collapses with laughter- That's so funny! And about those swimming lessons...(Scar: Only if Azzy over there doesn't come along...-glare-)  
D.C talk: There should be, yes. There aren't nearly enough.  
Moonglitter2: Well, this took a little longer, but I hope it was worth the wait.  
no one's friend: XD May I quote that on my profile?  
Darkness Shadow of Hatred: Hehehe...drowned rat boy...sounds like some kind of odd super hero/villain's name.  
LadyRiona: It's working now, but you already know that. Ed's such a hypocrite, but I'll still be as careful with the awesome-awesome jacket as I can.  
candidus-lupus-full Moon: Thanks much!_


	11. Trust

**_Chapter Title:_**_ Trust  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_None  
_**_Warnings: _**_Mild blood  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Omigosh, I've just realized that the end of the story is drawing close. I'm slightly stunned, because it went by so fast, and the end kind of crept up on me. It was so much fun to write, and now it's nearly over. -sadness-

* * *

_

Al stared at Scar, not quite sure of what he'd heard, "What do you mean?"

Scar gritted his teeth, "My right arm works again. I'm _dangerous_ again. You've been more than trusting of me while I was safe, while I couldn't hurt anyone if I tried. Will you be so careless around me now?"

"Scar-san…"

"Do you realize," Scar continued, voice stony and cold, "that the way you are standing now…do you realize how incredibly easy it would be for me to kill you?"

He had been expecting Alphonse to flinch, to move away quickly…but the younger Elric brother didn't. He stayed right where he was, unmoving and seemingly unafraid, "You wouldn't."

Al's voice wasn't hesitant, wasn't unsure in the slightest. Realization hit Scar like a rock to the head, leaving him slightly stunned, "You…trust me. After all I've done. You really _trust_ me."

"_Especially_ after all you've done. Scar-san…you saved Winry's life today. You put yourself into horrible danger to protect her and make sure she got away safely. And then tonight, you saved us all. In a million little ways while you've been here, you have _proven_ yourself worthy of our trust."

"I…" Scar fell silent, unable to think of anything to say in response to this.

"Scar-san, would you still kill niisan?"

Scar thought of the boy, but found it nearly impossible to think of Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist. His mind's image was of Ed, the tactless midget who exploded at being called short, cheated at cards, and hated milk…who had spent hours of his time engaged in difficult tactical maneuvers trying to get food down Scar's throat…a child who chased fireflies in the dark… "I don't…I'm not…sure…"

"There, you see? Let's go somewhere else and get all this blood off you now. Winry would kill _both_ of us if we got bloodstains all over the couch," Al gave a kind of nodding head movement that Scar had learned to mean that he was smiling, and gave Scar a hand up. Together the two walked outside, away from the sounds of fighting that were still coming from the kitchen. By the time Al had finally managed to scrub all the crimson from Scar's white hair, the group of failed terrorists had been thoroughly beaten and restrained.

"Ah, there you two are," Ed strolled out of the kitchen as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "So, how's the hero of the hour doing?" he put a hand on Scar's left shoulder, grinning. Unfortunately, this happened to be the shoulder that was injured, and Scar winced at the contact. Ed took his hand away quickly, "Hey, what's the matter?"

"They shot me."

"WHAT?" Al cried, "Why didn't you tell me? It needs to be treated right away! How long ago did this happen?"

"When they first captured me."

"Scar-san, that was hours and hours ago! It's going to get infected, and you'll get lead poisoning if the bullet's still in you, and-"

"Al, calm down. I'll get Auntie, and it will be _fine_. Spazzing won't help anything," Ed turned to Scar, "Just sit down and take your coat off so she can look at it as soon as she gets in here," and with that, he went back into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with Winry. He explained, "Pinako's making sure that guy doesn't die of blood loss in there while we're waiting for the military to show up."

"The military-" Scar stopped speaking to draw a sharp, pained breath as Winry touched the wound. It was easy to see why it hurt so much; the bullet had ripped a long, messy, and very bloody furrow directly below his shoulder.

"Yeah, the military's sending out some people to pick up that lot," Ed gestured back towards the kitchen, "Don't worry, they won't be here for hours, and we'll make sure they don't find you. But man, that looks really painful…"

Winry nodded, "It is pretty bad. I'll be right back; if this isn't cleaned and treated soon, it'll get badly infected. It might be beginning to be already," Winry gave a worried look at the wound before rushing upstairs for what she needed, and returning quickly with several washcloths, disinfectant, bandages, and a small basin of hot water. She set these things down on the floor and soaked one of the washcloths in the water, "Now, this is going to hurt…"

Scar nodded, biting back a cry as the tedious and painful process of cleaning out his wound began. It took nearly fifteen minutes, by which time his knuckles were white from gripping the fabric of the couch so hard. Then came the sharp sting of the disinfectant, and finally the bandage was wrapped tightly around his arm and it was finished.

Winry smiled at him, "You're a good patient. And…I'm sorry. You were injured because you were helping me."

"It was my choice," Scar mumbled distractedly. He was amazed at how relaxed they were around him. They'd been more wary of him when he'd first been brought here and couldn't have hurt a fly if he'd tried! Now here he was mobile and fully capable of killing them easily, yet they all trusted him not to with utmost surety.

"Well, I thank you for making that choice," Winry grinned.

"Anyway, Scar-san, maybe you should get some sleep before the military arrives, because you'll need to hide when they get here."

"But where?" Ed mused, "That guy's going to tell them that you were here; even if he doesn't know who you are, if he describes you then the military will know in a heartbeat. And even if we deny it, they'll want to search the place thoroughly. In fact, the _only_ place in all of Rizembool they _wouldn't _search is…" he looked at Al.

"Me?" Al pointed to himself questioningly, "But…Scar-san, I thought you didn't like being inside me…"

"I don't…" Scar admitted; in truth, he was still slightly frightened of being trapped inside Alphonse, although he would never, _ever_ admit it. But it was either that or get caught by the military, so he raised his head, eyes determined, "But I can handle it."

Ed nodded, "Okay, so that's settled. Now we just need to get rid of any evidence that you were ever here. You just go to sleep, though, because it looks like you need it."

Scar shook his head, "I don't need to sleep now."

"Yes, you do," Ed frowned and poked Scar in the forehead, "Now go to sleep or we'll drug you."

Scar glared, but sulkily lay down and closed his eyes anyway. He was asleep within minutes; obviously he'd been more tired than he'd let on. Ed gave a satisfied nod and the three of them began to work on making sure that it looked as though Scar had never been there.

After about half an hour, Al looked up, "Niisan…are we going to be able to go back to being enemies after this?"

"I'm not sure, Al. He's kind of grown on me, to tell the truth," Ed shrugged, rubbing the back of his head, "I guess you just can't spend a week and a half taking care of someone and still be mortal enemies with them afterwards."

"No," Al agreed, "He's not just an emotionless killer anymore, he's a _person_."

Ed nodded, and they fell silent again. Once you've seen a person at their most vulnerable, you can never really see them the same way again. And everyone in that house had…

* * *

_Al stood on the train platform, looking down at Scar. He was beginning to feel horribly guilty about what he'd done, because of the look in Scar's eyes. The normally strong and determined crimson orbs were full of fear, and the worst part was that it was directed at _him_. He wondered if there was another way he could have done it, a way that wouldn't have left the Ishbalan like this, terrified and confused. He'd never seen Scar look so small and helpless, had never thought that he would…and it made him feel slightly ill to know that it was his fault.

* * *

_

_Winry watched Scar worriedly, wondering how Pinako could be so calm. His fever was still rising, despite their best efforts to keep it down._

_"Nii…san…" a whispered murmur came from behind dry, cracked lips. Then a louder cry, "Niisan! No…no! NIISAN!" Scar jerked and twitched, caught in the grip of a nightmare. It was terrible to listen to, horrible to watch…but Winry couldn't look away…

* * *

_

_Ed snapped several pictures of the sleeping Scar before letting Al move him back inside. The Ishbalan's expression was the most peaceful that Ed had ever seen; the ever angry eyes were closed gently, and there was no frown on the slightly opened mouth. The icy façade had completely melted away. Ed thought wryly that Winry would probably say that he looked 'sweet'. Funny; only a week ago he would have laughed at the person who had thought that Scar could ever look like anything _resembling_ 'sweet'.

* * *

_

_Armstrong had been lucky when he had spotted Scar's silhouette flailing in the murky water. He managed somehow to grab onto the collar of the man's trenchcoat and swim back to the surface, but he'd been slightly surprised when Scar had latched onto his arm with a strength that Armstrong didn't think he'd have after nearly drowning. The major had been worried that Scar would struggle against his grip, but fortunately he was cooperating nicely. It was then, looking down at the Ishbalan and seeing how utterly terrified he was and how tightly he was holding on, that Armstrong realized that he must not know how to swim. He must have thought that he was going to die…

* * *

_

Several hours later, Ed, who was outside keeping a lookout for the military, called inside, "Hey, they're coming!"

Scar had been awake for about ten minutes already, and cast a slightly nervous look at Al, who was opening up the front of his armor. Gritting his teeth, he climbed in; it was just as dark and cold and uncomfortable as it had been last time. But at least he had consciously made the choice to be in there, as opposed to just waking up to find that he was inside a living suit of armor.

Within five minutes the military group had arrived, and were doing their job of taking the failed terrorists into custody. One of them saluted Ed, "Major Elric, we have orders to escort you and Major Armstrong back to Central immediately, sir!"

"What, _now_?" Ed grimaced, and tried not to look at where Scar was hidden.

"Yes, sir! As soon as you can pack your bags, sir!"

* * *

**_A/N: _**_-gasp- Ohnoes! The suspense! Just how long is Scar-san going to wind up being stuck inside Al? Will he still be trying to kill Ed after all this is over? What will become of the failure terrorists (something really bad, I hope)?  
__Envy: Will Sailor Moon ever unmask the mysterious Tuxedo Mask? -snicker-  
__Hehe__, good one, Envy! -high fives Envy-  
__Scar: -sigh-  
__Scar-san, guess what? We're going waterskiing on Tuesday!  
__Scar: O.o; -squeaks- What? But I can't swim!  
__Envy: Life jackets, Scar, life jackets.  
__Yeah, don't worry, Scar-san. It'll be fun!  
__Scar: I'm going to die…  
__Aw, you'll be fine. Anywho, time to answer reviews! _

_Anasazi Darkmoon: Oh, but they're going to pay even more for hurting him...-maniacal laughter- Hehehe...have fun with those swimming lessons, Scar-san! Maybe you should wear water wings...XD (Scar: -glare- That's not funny.)  
crazyanimefreak15: It is a good game, and very replayable, too. Good luck saving for the system!  
MoonGlitter2: Thanks much!  
Cyon Wavaer: Oh, I don't think they're quite dead enough...-joins in the whacking-  
LadyRiona: Thanks for your compliments, as always. :) (Scar: Wow, I feel really loved. Everyone's getting all indignant on my behalf.)  
ImperialJedi: Whoo, a convert! Yay! And the scumbags got the stuffing beat out of them...hehehe..._


	12. A Long Ride

**_Chapter Title:_**_ A Long Ride  
_**_Characters:_**_ Scar, Al, Ed, Winry, Pinako, Armstrong, Hughes  
_**_Pairings: _**_None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
_**_Spoilers: _**_None  
_**_Warnings: _**_None  
_**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
_**_A/N: _**_Ugh, I had such horrible writer's block on this chapter. Sorry it took a little longer than normal. Also, things are going to start getting a little weird, and the canon plotline is going to start going off on a different tangent than it did in the anime; I'm drawing from the manga here.

* * *

_

Ed and Al were upstairs in 'their' room, packing hurriedly. Or rather, Ed was packing and Al was standing in front of the door to make sure nobody opened it because Scar was out. All involved were discussing what exactly was going to happen now.

"So, are you going to stay here or what?" Ed dug out his pocket watch, "Sorry, but I gotta wear this now…"

"I can't stay, didn't you hear that man in the kitchen? 'That Ishbal rat with the scar blew off my leg' he said. The only way out of here right now is with you," Scar was pointedly ignoring the watch.

"Major Elric!" shouted a voice from the other side of the door, sounding worried, and the door tried to open, fortunately kept from this action by Al, "Is there someone in there with you? We highly suspect that Scar was here, and he might still be close. Sir, I request permission to come in, sir!"

Everyone jumped, Ed motioning frantically at Scar to get back inside Al and at the same time shouting, "Nobody's in here! I'll be out in a minute!" he threw the last few articles of clothing into the suitcase, along with the almost forgotten 'Blackmail Album' and closed it tightly. By this time Scar was safely shut inside Al again, so they opened the door to let the concerned looking soldier in. He took a quick look around before speaking again.

"I must have been hearing things…Major Elric, my commanding officer would like to ask you a few questions, sir."

* * *

"We have reason to suspect that Scar might have been here, Major Elric," the serious looking soldier stood in front of Ed and Al, "Please, tell us everything you know."

"Scar?" Ed was doing a good job of looking confused, "Why do you think that?"

"The leader of the terrorists claims that an Ishbalan with a scar blew off his leg with alchemy."

Ed smirked, "Well, he's either lying or crazy. He lost that leg when we were fighting him; didn't get out of the way in time." They had all agreed on a story before the military had arrived, so Ed knew that he wouldn't be contradicting anything anyone else had said if they had already been questioned, "I mean, really, think about it. Scar happens to be feeling heroic one night, so he leaps through the window of a house where two State Alchemists and their friends are being held hostage, saves the day, and runs off without a word. Somehow I doubt it."

The soldier looked thoughtful, "Well, when you put it that way…but, still, we're bound to search the area. Scar was suspected to be here even before this…incident occurred."

"Yeah, Major Armstrong told us. Anyway, I don't see a problem with you guys looking around. Do you see a problem with it, Al?"

"No, niisan. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"That's good, sir. Half my men will stay here, while the rest of us will escort you both to Central right away. Along with the criminals, of course," the soldier saluted again, "Say your goodbyes, and we'll be on our way."

"Right," Ed nodded, and he and Al went into the living room where Winry and Pinako where talking to another soldier, "Hey, we've got to be off, now, so bye."

Winry looked a little sad, "Well, it was nice to have you guys here. Remember, you're _all_ welcome back any time," she glanced at Al as she said this, then turned to Ed, "And you had _better_ take good care of your automail!"

"Yes, and _you_," Pinako looked pointedly at Al, or rather, at Scar, "take better care of yourself."

From inside of Al, Scar gave a small, unseen nod as the Elric brothers turned and walked out the door.

* * *

To Scar, the train ride back to Central had seemed like an eternity. A very dark and uncomfortable eternity. Al hadn't been able to go outside and let him out this time; because the terrorists were also on board, the security was extremely tight, with guards posted outside on every platform. And not only that, but there were several soldiers sitting near Ed, Al, and Armstrong, so he couldn't speak or even _move_ for fear of being discovered. By the time the train pulled into Central station, he was about ready to strangle something. But it wasn't over yet…

"Edward! Alphonse!" a cheery voice that Scar didn't recognize called out.

"Hughes-san!" Al shouted back happily, causing Scar to cringe as the loud noise reverberated around him, hurting his ears.

The new voice, apparently 'Hughes', spoke again, seemingly having walked over to where the brothers stood, "Nice to see you, boys. You _have_ to see these new pictures of Elysia! Look at her in her new pink dress! Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

"Not now, Hughes," Ed grumbled, "Why was it so important for us to come here?"

"Well, just the other night…well, the 1st Branch of the Library burned down…"

"WHAT? H-how?" Ed sounded like he was in shock.

Hughes' voice grew serious, "We aren't sure. It looks like arson, but we don't have any real suspects. Quite a few people are thinking Scar, but it didn't look like his work. Anyway, I'm supposed to take you to the scene now, so let's go."

Armstrong's voice spoke, "Well, this is where I leave you thr- two. Goodbye, and good luck."

And with that, Al began to walk again; one of the horrible parts of being inside him was that Scar couldn't see what was going on. It made him slightly nervous, but he trusted Alphonse enough now that it wasn't frightening as it had been the first time. But now he had no idea how long he'd be stuck in there; they'd just assumed that they'd go to some alley and let him be on his way as soon as they reached Central, but now there was no telling how long it would be before they were alone enough to do something like that. They seemed to be in a car now, and Hughes was babbling about someone named 'Elysia', but Scar wasn't paying attention to that. He was paying attention to how part of Al's shoulder was jabbing him every time the car jostled, in other words constantly. '_I am _never_ doing this _ever_ again. Ever._'

Eventually they reached the charred remains of the 1st Branch, and then came about two hours of standing around and asking and answering questions. At one point Ed leaned over to Al and whispered, "This can't go on forever. Just…don't jump out and run off, because we'd be in _so_ much trouble if you did that…"

Ah, that's right. If they were found to be harboring him, they'd be punished severely, along with the Rockbells and Armstrong. All the more reason to get away as soon as he could; he didn't want them to be hurt because of him. Finally, after what seemed like ages, it was back into the car with Hughes.

"Gracia wants you to stay with us while you're both here in Central," the man said cheerfully.

"Er…" Scar just _knew_ that Ed was glancing at him while he said this, "I…guess…"

"Great! Oh, Elysia will be so happy to see you again…" the car slowed to a halt, and they all climbed out. A few more steps, and then, suddenly, Al stopped.

"What is it, Hughes-san?"

"Al," Hughes spoke up, "Whoever's hiding inside you can come out now."

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Dundunduuuuuun…I'm sure you're all wondering how the 1st Branch burned down. Well, the Homunculus did that all by themselves, on purpose, like they did in the manga. See? I'm not breaking canon, just mixing it up a bit. Anyway, this story is wrapping up; I think that the next chapter will be the last. But never fear, because I'm starting the sequel fairly soon. Anywho, I have a funny joke for all of you: Scar is armed and dangerous. Think about it.  
__Scar: That phrase is a source of endless amusement to you, isn't it, Ieva?  
__Yep! Oh, and also I wanna tell you guys about the water skiing; it was really fun (but slightly painful). We also tubed, and I liked that better. I drew a funny picture of us tubing; it'll be up on my website as soon as I can get my stupid scanner working again. Anyway, review time!_

_Roxie Faye: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hehe...that line amuses me too.  
Anasazi Darkmoon: Yes, they do. Lots and lots of horrible things...-cackles evilly- Ahem, anyway. Scar kinda sorta learned to almost paddle around with a lifejacket on (like he had a choice), and he didn't panic TOO much...(Envy: -laughs- Are you kidding?Yes he did! Scar: Quiet!)  
crazyanimefreak15: (Scar: -eye twitches- Edward...) Scar-san, there will be no mauling of Ed! Oh, and he thanks you for the water wings. (Envy: -teary puppy dog eyes- IT WASN'T MY FAULT! Why does everyone hate me for something I had no control over?)  
Cyon Wavaer: XD That would be the greatest thing ever... (Scar: Says _you_...anyway, thank you for the floating things.)  
MoonGlitter2: Thanks!  
ImperialJedi: Very interesting indeed...glad you liked the flashbacks!  
no one's friend: I'm going to miss it a lot too...there's always the sequel, but it won't be the same...-sniffle- And yeah, I'm definitely starting other stories. Great quote, by the way!  
candidus-lupus-full Moon: Hehehe...funny. I'm glad you like it so much!  
_


	13. Healed

_**Chapter Title:** Healed  
**Characters:** Scar, Al, Ed, Hughes, Gracia, Elysia  
**Pairings: **None! I can't write romance for the life of me!  
**Spoilers: **None  
**Warnings: **None  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own it! Waaaaah!  
**A/N: **-sniffle- Waaaaaaah! The last chapter! I'm going to miss this story so much! -clings to story- I'm starting to plan the sequel (we've caught a nice plot bunny), so I'll get that posted as soon as I can!_

_

* * *

_Scar's heart seemed to skip a beat at Hughes' statement. _'How…how did he know…'_

"Al? C'mon, it's not that big a deal. I don't miss much; I do work in Intelligence, after all. Are they a friend of yours?" Hughes' voice was joking; Scar doubted it would be such when the man found out who he was. He really, really wished that he could see what was going on.

"Yeah, yeah he is," Ed's voice was quiet and determined.

"Why so serious, Ed?" Hughes sounded confused, "It's perfectly okay; not like you've got Scar in there, right?" there was a long pause, "…right?"

"Well, it's kind of a funny story, see…" Ed gave a kind of weak laugh.

An even longer pause, "Al, open up your armor, please."

Scar squinted as Al's chest plate was removed, letting in a flood of sunlight. When he regained his sight, he found that a serious looking man with short black hair and glasses was holding the tip of a small throwing knife uncomfortably close to his throat.

"Hughes-san!" Al had barely seen the man move, he had been so fast, "Please don't! He's…he's our friend!"

Hughes held up a hand to quiet Al, "So, Scar, it looks like you've been caught. What are you going to do now? Are you going to destroy Alphonse to get away?"

Crimson eyes widened. It was the only way to escape…but he…he _couldn't_…not to Alphonse…

'_He's our friend!_'

Scar raised his head to look Hughes directly in the eyes, "Never."

Hughes looked slightly surprised, then smiled, withdrawing the knife. Then he reached over…and ruffled Scar's hair, "Well, _someone_ certainly has changed recently. Now…would somebody mind telling me what is going on here?"

And so, they gave him a brief summary of the last eleven days, skipping anything that might have been embarrassing to Scar, and also anything the military might see as a weak point to use against him in the future. When they were finished, Hughes was scratching his head, musing on what he'd just heard.

"That settles it!" he shouted suddenly, "Scar, because you most courageously saved the day during that particularly messy hostage situation, I will not arrest you today!" he gave his trademark grin, "And if you wanted to stay here for tonight, I won't arrest you tomorrow morning either."

Scar gave a surprised nod; he hadn't been expecting to be allowed to stay the night. He hadn't even been expecting to not get arrested. Hughes led the trio into the house before allowing Scar to come out of Al, and the Ishbalan stumbled slightly when he first put his feet on the ground; he hadn't stood properly since early that morning, and it was now well into the afternoon. Ed caught his arm before he fell, though, and Scar gave a grateful nod. Hughes watched the silent exchange with interest, surprised at how incredibly relaxed the brothers were around Scar, and vice versa. It looked as though they really had become friends…or at least, as close to friends as they could get.

"Ah, Ed, Al. It's nice to see you both," a smiling Gracia walked into the room, Elysia trailing behind her, "But who is this?" she looked curiously at Scar.

"This is Ed and Al's friend, Scar," Hughes explained, "He hasn't got anywhere to go, so I offered to let him stay here tonight…"

Gracia looked thoughtful, "Certainly, if he's a friend and has nowhere else to go. Dear, would you come over here for a moment?" she looked at Hughes, and he came over to her. She whispered, "Isn't 'Scar' that one that you…?"

He whispered back, "Yes, but he doesn't seem to mean any harm right now. And I owe him one; he saved me a lot of mess and paperwork by stopping those terrorists in Rizembool."

"Oh, is _that_ what happened?" Gracia looked over at Scar, and saw that Elysia was standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" she asked innocently.

He just stared at her, and Al stepped in, "This is our friend Scar."

Elysia giggled, "Big brother Scar!"

Scar gave Al a questioning look, mouthing 'big brother?' at him. Al shrugged, "She calls us both big brother, too."

"Up!" Scar turned back down towards Elysia, who was holding out her arms to him. At a loss for what to do, he looked over at Gracia, but she only nodded at him with a smile. Elysia demanded again, "Up!" Slowly, and rather nervously, Scar reached down and picked the small girl up. She giggled and clapped her hands while Scar just stood there, wondering what in the name of Ishbala he was supposed to do now.

Gracia smiled at the scene; it was obvious by his confused look that the man hadn't been around children much. It was…amusing, to say the least.

"So, how long were you inside Al?" Hughes asked cheerily.

Scar answered in a distracted voice, busy trying to pry Elysia from around his neck, "Since this morning."

Suddenly Gracia was in full 'Mother' mode, to put it lightly. Within seconds she had dragged Scar off, saying something about food and water and rest. Once they were gone, Ed turned to Hughes with a grin, "Hey, wanna see some pictures?"

* * *

Later that night, Scar was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. He was sharing the guest bedroom with Ed and Al, and Ed's loud snores weren't the only thing keeping him up. Now that he was no longer sick, he seemed to be reverting back to his insomniac state. It felt, to him, as though he had slept more in the past week and a half than he had in the three or so years since he had begun his mission to kill State Alchemists all put together. And then this in turn reminded him that even his mission had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated; how was he supposed to kill someone who had helped him? He turned his head to look across the room where Ed snored away peacefully; a week and a half ago, he would have killed the boy right then. A week and a half ago, Ed wouldn't have even _thought_ about sleeping so soundly when in the same room as an unrestrained Scar. A week and a half ago, Scar would have thought the person who suggested that he would one day be in this position to be a complete lunatic. And yet, here he was. 

"Is niisan keeping you awake, Scar-san?" Al whispered from where he sat against the wall. Scar started slightly at the unexpected voice, then shook his head 'no' and closed his eyes. But it was a long time before he actually fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning was bright and sunny, promising a day of perfect weather. Ed, Al, and Scar stood in an empty alleyway…ironically it was the same one where Al had found Scar in the first place. The mood was subdued; Scar was now completely healed, and it was time for him to leave. 

"I wish you could stay…" Al said quietly. Out of all of them, he would probably miss Scar the most.

Scar shook his head, "I can't. You _both_ know that," and then he turned and walked away. He wasn't going to say goodbye, and he knew that they didn't expect him to say 'thank you'.

"Scar!" Ed's voice caused him to stop and turn. The boy was looking as though he didn't quite know what he intended to say, "Just…don't get yourself caught!"

Scar didn't reply, but gave a small nod before continuing on his way, thinking, '_I don't plan to._' No, he wouldn't say goodbye. He had the feeling that he would see the Elric brothers again.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Sorry this took so long; I kinda got a little stuck up near the beginning. But… -sniffle- It's…it's over! I hope the ending wasn't terrible. -sigh-  
__Scar: Whatever happened to those terrorists?  
__Oh yeah, them. Hmmm…I hereby sentence them to life in prison. And then maybe they can become experiments in the 5th Laboratory, ne?  
__Scar: OO; …_Some_one sure is feeling sadistic today.  
__Heeheehee…on another note, does Elysia actually call Ed and Al big brothers? She calls Winry big sister, but I don't remember what she calls them. If I was wrong about that, then let's just chalk it up as a tiny little tribute to Nina. Anywho, I think that's everything! So now I'll answer reviews (by the way, you're all the bestest reviewers in the whole world!) _

_Moonglitter2: You really think so:)  
crazyanimefreak15: Envy says that's nice to know. And yes, Ed, I do plan to draw that.  
Anasazi Darkmoon: All hail the Master of the Multitask! I'm glad that you're glad that I have Hughes in the story. Yay for blueberry muffins!  
Halcyon and her Baka Hammer of Doom: Hehehe...sorry for ending it too soon, but I'm glad you're reading Muses O' Doom.  
ImperialJedi: Because Hughes knows EVERYTHING. As for what happens...I was having trouble writing it without it sounding awkward, so you can imagine whatever you want...- -;  
Silvertails Tora: Eh, I'm sorry, I'll get that picture up as soon as I can...-sweatdrop-  
Sull89: Yeah, he is. Fortunately for Scar, he's also nice.  
DogEarFetish: Yah,I know he is a bit OOC, but he's a developing character and I seem to have a bit of a different view of his personality than most. I'm glad you think I did a good job with foreshadowing!  
no one's friend: I'm sorry I left you hanging! I'll try not to make you wait too long for the sequel...  
silver-kitsune223: I hope you liked it!  
candidus-lupus-full Moon: Hehe, yeah, I know. Glad you like it!  
D.C talk: Well, now you know!_


End file.
